1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air conditioning unit and a vehicular air conditioner installed in a vehicle such as an automobile, for performing air conditioning such as cooling and heating within the vehicle interior. In particular, the invention relates to technology for improving an air conditioning feeling at the time of a defroster blowing mode.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, the air conditioning unit installed in a vehicle such as an automobile executes an air conditioning operation such as cooling, heating, and dehumidifying to provide a comfortable environment to the passengers inside the vehicle interior. Moreover, the air conditioning unit is also provided with a function for blowing warmed air and dehumidified air (air-conditioned air) from an air outlet referred to as a defroster air outlet, directly onto the inner face of the windscreen (front glass) or the like in order to, for example, remove the frost on the windscreen before travelling during winter, or to remove the fog on the windscreen while travelling in the rain. This air conditioning operation mode is generally referred to as a xe2x80x9cdefroster blowing modexe2x80x9d. In addition to this xe2x80x9cdefroster blowing modexe2x80x9d, there are also the following blowing modes.
A xe2x80x9cface blowing modexe2x80x9d mainly used at the time of cooling operation in summer, which blows cold wind toward the upper body of the occupant from a face air outlet. A xe2x80x9cfoot blowing modexe2x80x9d mainly used at the time of heating operation in winter, which blows warm wind toward the feet of the occupant from a foot air outlet. A xe2x80x9cbi-level blowing modexe2x80x9d mainly used at the period during spring or autumn, which blows air-conditioned air from both the face air outlet and the foot air outlet. In this case, typically the wind blown from the face air outlet is made a lower temperature than that from the foot air outlet; xe2x80x9chead cold and feet hotxe2x80x9d.
However, with the conventional defroster blowing mode, the defroster function is given preference. Hence, the warm wind side is strong so that the temperature of the blown air-conditioned air tends to increase. Therefore, warm wind of a relatively high temperature flows from the windscreen side toward the face and head of the occupant. This is undesirable from the point of view of air conditioning feeling.
In particular, with a vehicular air conditioner, since xe2x80x9chead cold and feet hotxe2x80x9d is the basis, an air conditioning unit and a vehicular air conditioner is desired where a defroster function where performance is improved by blowing a warm wind of a high temperature, is made compatible with air conditioning feeling which is improved by supplying cool air toward the head.
The present invention takes into consideration the above situation with the object of providing an air conditioning unit and a vehicular air conditioner which can improve both the defroster function and air conditioning feeling at the time of defroster operation mode.
The present invention adopts the following means in order to solve the above problems.
An air conditioning unit according to a first aspect of the invention comprises: an inside air/outside air box incorporating an inside air/outside air switching damper for opening an outside air inlet and an inside air inlet to selectively switch introduced air to one of inside air and outside air; a blower unit provided with a blower fan for drawing in the introduced air and blowing this to a downstream side; and an air regulating section unit with an evaporator for exchanging heat between the introduced air passing therethrough and a refrigerant, a heater core for exchanging heat between the introduced air passing therethrough and warm water, and an air mix damper for adjusting a flow quantity of the introduced air which passes through the heater core, provided inside a unit case having a plurality of air outlets opening upward which are each provided with a damper, and with the heater core arranged above the evaporator; wherein the construction is such that a defroster air outlet for blowing toward a glass face, blows a two-layer flow of air-conditioned air comprising a warm wind and a cold wind.
With such an air conditioning unit, air-conditioned air in two layer streams comprising a warm wind and a cold wind can be blown from the defroster air outlet. Therefore, the defroster function is improved by the high temperature warm wind, and appropriate temperature conditioned air of a mixture of warm wind after defrosting and cold wind, can be supplied to the occupants and the vehicle interior.
A vehicular air conditioner according to an other aspect of the invention comprises: an air conditioning unit comprising: an inside air/outside air box incorporating an inside air/outside air switching damper for opening an outside air inlet and an inside air inlet to selectively switch introduced air to one of inside air and outside air; a blower unit provided with a blower fan for drawing in the introduced air and blowing this to a downstream side; and an air regulating section unit with an evaporator for exchanging heat between the introduced air passing therethrough and a refrigerant, a heater core for exchanging heat between the introduced air passing therethrough and warm water, and an air mix damper for adjusting a flow quantity of the introduced air which passes through the heater core, provided inside a unit case having a plurality of air outlets opening upward which are each provided with a damper, and with the heater core arranged above the evaporator; where a defroster air outlet for blowing toward a glass face, blows a two-layer flow of air-conditioned air comprising a warm wind and a cold wind; a refrigerant system comprising; a compressor for compressing a gas refrigerant, a condenser for exchanging heat of the high pressure gas refrigerant with outside air to condense the gas refrigerant to liquid refrigerant, and an expansion valve for changing the high temperature and high pressure liquid refrigerant into a low temperature and low pressure liquid refrigerant, for supplying low temperature and low pressure liquid refrigerant to the evaporator, a heat source system for introducing engine cooling water to the heater core, and a control section for controlling operation of the air conditioning unit, the refrigerant system, and the heat source system.
With such a vehicular air conditioner, air-conditioned air in two layer streams comprising a warm wind and a cold wind can be blown from the defroster air outlet. As a result, the defroster function is improved by the high temperature warm wind, and appropriate temperature conditioned air of a mixture of warm wind after defrosting and cold wind, can be supplied to the occupants and the vehicle interior. Therefore, the defroster function is made compatible with air conditioning feeling, giving an apparatus with high marketability.